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The Art Resource series will be the first post in each calendar month. Remember - these Art Resource posts span information that will be useful for a home hobbyist to that required by a final year University Fine-Art student and so undoubtedly, some parts of any Art Resource post may appear far too technical for your needs (skip over those mind boggling parts) and in other parts, it may be too simplistic with respect to your level of knowledge (ditto the skip). The trade-off between these two extremes will mean that Art Resource posts will hopefully be useful in parts to most, but unfortunately may not be satisfying to all!

IntroductionLeather is not a textile in the strictest definition. Nevertheless, it can have a fabric-like hand and drape and so is often talked and written about in a textile context. Leather is a natural product but nevertheless it is included in this Art Resource series because many man-made fabrics are finished to resemble leather in appearance.

LeatherLeather is a product manufactured from the skins of animals, reptiles, fish and birds. It is an organic substance derived from living animals and therefore varies significantly in uniformity. The hides and skin varies in size, thickness, uniformity and grain and often are marred by scratches, brands and so on. Animals are generally not raised for their hides, but more for their meat and fiber. Leather is a relatively unimportant by-product. Since the value of the hide is generally only 5% of the value of the animal, an increase in the demand for leather would not lead to an increase in the number of animals raised.

Gucci’s python peplum jacket.

Hides undergo many processes before they become a leather product. Some of these are:
(i) In the packing factory plants, the skin is removed (flayed) and dropped down a chute to a hide cellar in order to allow the skin to cool. Hides are covered with salt on the flesh side to prevent putrefaction. They are piled into packs and allowed to cure for 30 days at 50-60oF. These are green salted hides.

Salted Cattle hides.

In the past few years pig skin has become a fairly plentiful raw material for leather because of the popularity of packaged bacon rather than slab bacon. Some leather firms supply flaying machines to packing plant in order to ensure a plentiful supply of well-flayed hides.

The luxe life sales.

(ii) Hides are cleaned by removing hair, epidermis, and flesh and opening pores.

(iii) Hides are tanned. Tanning comes from the Latin tannare meaning oak bark. Tannin is extracted from the bark of various trees. In the early days, tanners maintained their own bark sheds, where bark was stacked, cured and seasoned. Today the tanners buy a tanning liquor.

Vegetable tanning – the most expensive process – takes from several days to six months and produces leather that has excellent abrasion resistance, is tan in color, and has a characteristic leather smell.

Vegetable tanned leather jacket.

Chrome tanning is a one-bath process producing leather that is soft, pliable and grayish in color.

Black horsehide vintage (1950) chromed tanned motorcycle jacket.

Oil tanning process produces chamois.

Chamois leather jacket.

Many other processes are necessary to improve the strength and appearance of leather: bleaching, stuffing (adding hot oils to make it pliable and resistant to cracking), dyeing, staking (flexing and stretching), boarding (developing the grain), buffing and snuffing (skinning off a thin layer or passing over an emery board), and embossing if the grain surface is poor.

Cross-sectional drawing of a strip of leather showing variations in the density of fiber.

In the figure above, it is obvious that the leather varies in the density of fibers from the flesh side to the skin side. Leathers are often split to make them more pliable and more economical. The first layer is called “Top Grain” and it has the typical animal grain, takes the best finish and wears well. Splits must be embossed to have a leather-like grain. Suedes are napped on the flesh side (see diagram below).

Split leather.

Levi leather suede jacket.

In making articles from leather, much skill is needed in cutting garments, gloves, shoe uppers, and hand bags, from relatively small skins. It is said that the French derived the reputation of making the best kid gloves, not because the leather was better, but because they knew how to cut more gloves from one skin.

In 2019 the Newcastle Printmakers Workshop in Newcastle, NSW, Australia will celebrate 40 years ! 40 current and past NPW printmakers have been selected to celebrate this 40 year milestone anniversary. The launch exhibition will be held at Art Systems Wickham, Newcastle, 8-17 November 2019. Marie-Therese is one of the participating printmakers contributing to this historical event.Click on the logo image to get further updates about the 40/40 exhibition concept, program and events.

Published in Studio La Primitive Arts Zine

Marie-Therese was invited by the editor of Studio La Primitive Arts Zine, Robyn Werkhoven, to be a 'Feature Artist' in the Arts Zine which features articles and interviews with national and international visual artists, poets and writers and glimpses into their world of art and their creative processes. The article, which features Marie-Therese’s art practice and career is titled, ' A Mapping of Anthropogenic Change' has been published in the May 2018 Issue 25 of the Studio La Primitive Arts Zine (the article appears on page 86). Click on the Image to get to the article.

2018 CrossXpollinatioN Exhibition - Journey's

Marie-Therese was a 'Feature Artist' at the '2018 CrossXpollinatioN' exhibition which was themed 'Journey's'. Her ArtCloth Installation 'Timelines: An Environmental Journey' was exhibited at the Colac Otway Performing Arts & Cultural Centre, Colac, Victoria from the 7th - 29th July 2018. The installation featured works employing her signature MultiSperse Dye Sublimation (MSDS) technique on synthetic fibres.Click on the image to see her installation.

About Me

I work full time as a studio artist, researcher, author, curator, speaker and tutor. I am also the Director of Art Quill Studio, The Education Division of Art Quill & Co. Pty. Ltd. at Arcadia Vale, NSW, Australia. I teach as a casual lecturer at The University of Newcastle (Australia) and I am the former co-editor of Textile Fibre Forum art magazine.

Employing my signature techniques I specialize in the area of ArtCloth, artist printmaker books and limited edition prints.

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My Most Visited Posts"When Rainforests Ruled" - ArtCloth Exhibition

My Scarves @ The Australian Craft Awards

My unique, hand dyed and printed silk rayon velvet and pashmina scarves are available for purchase. To purchase a scarf please contact - studio@artquill.com.au.Click on the image above to see my velvet ArtCloth scarves.

Welcome to Art Quill Studio

Art Quill Studio is a trademark of Art Quill & Co P/L, which is an Australian Company with no subsidiaries outside of Australia.

This blog will be dedicated to arousing world wide interest in: (a) using the medium of cloth to create a work of art; (b) promoting works on paper; (c) exploring concepts that are the basis of my current artworks; (d) offering opinions on art issues; (e) providing art resources to the public at large.